Abortion clinic in New Brunswick faces potential closure as the government refuses to invest in clinical abortion services
In March 2020, roughly $140,000 was deducted from New Brunswick’s annual health transfer payments by the Canadian federal government. Yet in April, the temporary reimbursement of the same amount was provided to the province due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The initial decision to deduct money was a result of the province not subsidizing out-of-hospital abortions. The province has been criticized for not providing adequate abortion access.
Medicare from the province for abortions currently only covers three hospitals, two in Moncton and one in Bathurst. While Moncton is the most populated city of New Brunswick, all three hospitals are located at least 150 km away from Fredericton and Saint John, the two other most populated cities of the province.
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs has stood by his decision and refused to subsidize abortion costs for the province’s only private clinic offering abortion services, Clinic 554. However, Clinic 554 is a family medical practice and all other costs apart from abortion are covered by the province.
The federal government and other activists arguing against the province’s decision stated that New Brunswick is violating the Canada Health Act, Canada’s federal legislation for publicly funded health care insurance.
The Canada Health Act notes that provinces and territories should fulfill five criteria and two conditions. Of these criteria and conditions, accessibility is one of the criteria.
The act also states that provinces and territories should ensure there is no extra billing and user charges for insured health services. Violation of the act removes their entitlement to the full Canada Health Transfer.
In 2017, people from New Brunswick spent $140,216 out-of-pocket at a clinic when they were supposed to be covered by Medicare.
In 2017, people from New Brunswick spent $140,216 out-of-pocket at a clinic when they were supposed to be covered by Medicare.
Dr. Adrian Edgar runs Clinic 554, the only clinic that currently offers abortion services in New Brunswick and specializes in 2SLGBTQIA+ health care. Unlike the three hospitals, Clinic 554 is located in the city of Fredericton.
Edgar said that for those who do not have Medicare yet, such as international students or migrant workers, abortions at hospitals can cost roughly $2,400 to $2,700.
At Clinic 554, there is a $700 to $800 fee for each abortion service administered, but Edgar has been performing the service for free to those who can not afford the fee.
In September, Edgar said that the clinic itself subsidizes abortions for patients. However, the cost is no longer viable and therefore Edgar is forced to consider closing the clinic.
As of November, Clinic 554 is still open and continues to provide abortion services for patients. Edgar noted that the clinic has had to drastically reduce its services in the last year due to the lack of funds. The clinic no longer provides services relating to transgender health, routine family-practice care or addiction care.
A national civil liberties group known as the Canadian Civil Liberties Association has now filed a legal notice in the first stage of a suit against the News Brunswick government.
“We gave the government the chance to do the right thing but sadly they have given us no other option,” said Michael Bryant, CCLA’s executive director and general counsel.
“We gave the government the chance to do the right thing but sadly they have given us no other option,” said Michael Bryant, CCLA’s executive director and general counsel.
Higgs had previously expressed that he is concerned that funding abortion services at Clinic 554 would set a precedent for further funding of other private clinics. Higgs suggested that if there is a lack of access, the solution should be to consider whether another hospital should offer abortion services.
The Student Health Education Centre, run by the McMaster Students Union, expressed their concern for this issue and wrote a letter to Higgs and New Brunswick’s Minister of Health, Dorothy Shepard.
“This limitation notably restricts access to safe, legal, sex-positive, trauma-informed and gender-celebratory abortion care from a group of qualified licensed medical professionals,” the letter stated.
The letter stated that although the lack of accessible abortion services is occuring in a different province than that of the university, there are many students from New Brunswick attending McMaster. This included Edgar, who was a 2010 McMaster graduate.
Responding to Higgs’ rationale that further accessibility should mean more hospitals rather than clinics offering abortion services, Sydney Cummings, coordinator of SHEC, said that she disagrees with this reasoning as clinics are often a preferred option for those seeking abortion services.
“I truthfully do not think that [investing more in abortion services in hospitals] would be very helpful to many of the folks that want or need this care . . . I don’t think that’s the answer personally,” Cummings said.
“I truthfully do not think that [investing more in abortion services in hospitals] would be very helpful to many of the folks that want or need this care . . . I don’t think that’s the answer personally,” Cummings said.
Cummings added that statistics show abortion clinics are necessary and have been providing a service that people use. In fact, statistics show that in recent years, the number of abortions done in clinics outnumbers those done in hospitals.
In 2018, statistics compiled by the Canadian Institute for Health Information showed that across Canada, 26,498 abortions were done in hospitals while 58,697 abortions were done in clinics.
Aside from a lack of abortion services in general, making hospitals the only option for abortions has been a concern especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking to Global News, Edgar said that he believes funding private abortion clinics is important now more than ever to help limit travel and patient exposure to bacteria.
Edgar also said that reports have been filled out by many patients of his clinic, complaining about the lack of access to services during the pandemic. Edgar said that the clinic is sending these complaints to the ministry of health.
The urgency of the matter during a pandemic was also noted in SHEC’s letter.
“[I]t is unethical to send people to a hospital in the midst of a global pandemic when these procedures could easily be done safely in a lower-risk environment. Especially given the immunocompromised state of most pregnant persons,” the service wrote.
Cummings expressed that the need for abortion clinics lies in its ability to provide person-centred care. Hospitals across Canada are often overburdened and healthcare staff may not get the appropriate care-focused training that they need to provide abortion services.
Clinics can help ensure a greater level of care and understanding from the staff towards sensitive healthcare needs, such as abortions.
The decision for SHEC to reach out to the New Brunswick government and focus on this issue was largely because they heard of the important work that Clinic 554 does, said Cummings. The clinic is providing services for marginalized communities such as sex workers and members of the 2SLGTBQIA+ community.
Hearing that such an important resource is facing closure propelled the team to take further action.
“Forcing individuals from these [marginalized or oppressed] communities to seek out support from healthcare workers who don’t respect their identities is an act of indirect violence,” the service wrote in their letter.
Resources for abortion care:
→ https://www.actioncanadashr.org/campaigns/call-access-line-1-888-642-2725
→ https://choiceconnect.ca/
→ https://exhaleprovoice.org/after-abortion-talkline/
Activists gather to demand defunding of police services and investments in free housing
On Nov. 23 following National Housing Day, a group of activists known as Defund HPS gathered outside of Hamilton City Hall to demand the defunding of police services across all levels of government and greater investment into free permanent housing.
The group is asking for an immediate 50 per cent reduction of the Hamilton Police Services budget.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Our coalition is outside @cityofhamilton. We won’t leave until money is divested from municipal, provincial, and federal police, and invested into free permanent housing. #HamOnt #OnPoli #CndPoli #HousingIsAHumanRight 1/9
— Defund HPS (@DefundHPS) November 23, 2020
Other demands from the group include rejection of the $4 million budget increase that was requested by the HPS and that the HPS budget surplus of $567,875 is reallocated toward free permanent housing.
“Despite years of promises [regarding] housing, houseless people across the country are being brutalized by municipalities and police. Right now, there are [more than] 20 encampments in #HamOnt,” the group wrote on Twitter.
“Despite years of promises [regarding] housing, houseless people across the country are being brutalized by municipalities and police. Right now, there are [more than] 20 encampments in #HamOnt,” the group wrote on Twitter.
The group added that tents are being destroyed and mass park evictions are occurring while women’s shelters reach maximum capacity and men’s shelters provide unlivable or undignified conditions.
“People will die in the cold because our economy is prioritized over human life . . . Housing is a human right and must be free,” the group tweeted.
“People will die in the cold because our economy is prioritized over human life . . . Housing is a human right and must be free,” the group tweeted.
The group has now set up tents outside of Hamilton City Hall and state that they won’t be leaving until their demands are met. They are also asking to meet with Hamilton’s Mayor, Fred Eisenberger.
Sarah Jama, the organizer of the protest, has been charged by Hamilton police due to the number of people at the protest allegedly exceeding what is permitted for an outdoor gathering during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jama will appear in court on Feb. 22, 2021 and is liable to pay a minimum fine of $10,000 if convicted.
On Nov. 26, after days of remaining outside of City Hall, Defund HPS organized a dance party to gather more attention and continue calling upon the mayor for action.
Maybe they can't hear us - let's get LOUD. Join us tonight at 6:30 PM for a dance party in front of City Hall! DJ miss crabs will keep us warm and grooving - let's make it unmistakable that if we don't get it, we WILL shut it down and we WILL turn it up. pic.twitter.com/MSw895z198
— Defund HPS (@DefundHPS) November 26, 2020
Also on Nov. 26, a news release from the city stated that bylaw officers will start issuing removal notices for the tents that are set up in front of City Hall. The release said that the notices do not impact people’s rights to gather in front of City Hall, but will indicate that tents and other structures need to be removed immediately.
“[T]he City will work with demonstrators to have them removed by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday night to allow reasonable time for dismantling and removal. It is only the tents and structures that are being ordered for removal, individuals are permitted to remain on site, provided they do not exceed the 25-person outdoor gathering limit,” the city wrote.
On Nov. 27, the fifth day of the demonstration, a statement from Defund HPS was released. The statement shared that Eisenberger had finally spoken out about the demonstration and that he had called the group’s demands to defund the police irrational. Eisenberger said that the city had already made investments into housing.
However, the group stated that they believe the $50 million invested over a 10 year period into housing is insignificant in comparison to the $171 million budget allocated to the Hamilton Police Service in this year alone.
DAY FIVE: PLEASE READ OUT STATEMENT BELOW #DefundThePolice #HamOnt #onpoli #canpoli pic.twitter.com/gTRDGGMUMt
— Defund HPS (@DefundHPS) November 28, 2020
The next day, on Nov. 28, Eisenberger refused to meet with Defund HPS publicly but instead said that he would be willing to meet the group privately within closed quarters with no technology present.
In response, the group rejected meeting privately as they believe it is not safe and would like to meet in a way that provides transparency to all the activists that have gathered for the demonstration.
Others have criticized the mayor’s request to meet privately, noting that the housing crisis in Hamilton is a public issue and deserves input from the public.
“Our mayor always wants to meet privately. Why? Residents of Hamilton expect their elected officials to engage with everybody in the city. Private meetings do not help with the situation. More often than not, in these private meetings no work is done,” said musician and Executive Director of the Hamilton Center for Civic Inclusion, Kojo Damptey, in a video he shared in support of the protest.
On Nov. 29, a vigil was hosted to commemorate the lives lost of unhoused people. Following seven days of the ongoing demonstration, the activists continue to stand by their demands and run interactive programs for all those joining them in front of City Hall, including mural painting as well as tote bag and t-shirt making.
On Nov. 30, bylaw officers and police began forcibly removing tents. Videos show that tents and other belongings are being thrown in the garbage.
On Nov. 30, bylaw officers and police began forcibly removing tents. Videos show that tents and other belongings are being thrown in the garbage.
A statement has since been made by Defund HPS in regards to the tent removals. The group noted that the organizers were not communicated with by police prior to their sudden arrival. The officers were not socially distanced and were handing out trespassing tickets to people for random actions such as holding flowers.
“What we witnessed today was a complete failure on the city’s part to keep people safe. It was a violent attack on people’s livelihood and right to existing in a public space . . . These structures at the camp were critical to keeping people alive, keeping each other fed, keeping each other clothed, keeping each other healthy. We enforced social distancing measures and COVID-safety measures the entire week. We were simply exercising our right to protest,” the group wrote in their statement.
“What we witnessed today was a complete failure on the city’s part to keep people safe. It was a violent attack on people’s livelihood and right to existing in a public space."
Defund HPS is now asking people to “wake up the mayor”, getting his attention by calling his number, posting on his Twitter or sending him an email.
THREAD:
Wake up Fred get out of bed! Let’s give the Mayor a morning reminder, given his refusal to meet with his constituents in public!
Check it out pic.twitter.com/HtP3bztvCZ
— Defund HPS (@DefundHPS) November 30, 2020
As the demonstration continues, the group is asking for donations from the community for items such as tents, sleeping bags, blankets, umbrellas and more. Items can be brought to New Vision United Church, which is across the street from City Hall, for volunteers to receive and sanitize.
When the Silhouette reached out to Defund HPS, they were unavailable for an interview.
